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To ask the Leader of the House whether there is a protocol relating to whether letters
to ministers from members of the House of Lords should receive replies; and if so,
how quickly replies should be sent.

<p>The Government recognises the importance of effective and timely handling of correspondence
with members of the House of Lords. Government departments should aim to provide a
substantive response to routine correspondence within a maximum of 20 working days.
However, sometimes circumstances dictate that it will not be possible to provide a
response within this timeframe. In such instances, departments are advised to issue
a ‘holding’ response until a more substantive response can be provided.</p><p>The
Cabinet Office publishes an annual report detailing departmental performance in the
handling of correspondence from members of both Houses. Lord Young of Cookham set
out the 2017 performance figures in a Written Statement on 26 June 2018 (HLWS771).
The 2018 performance figures will be published in summer 2019.</p>

<p>The proposed dates for the Committee stage of the Trade Bill were advertised in
<em>Forthcoming Business </em>on 3 January, and are as follows: Monday 21 January,
Wednesday 23 January, Monday 28 January, and Wednesday 30 January. Dates for further
stages will be advertised in <em>Forthcoming Business </em>in the usual way.</p>

<p>The committee stage of the Trade bill has been arranged in the usual way, having
been subject to ongoing discussions in the Usual Channels. So far the three of an
anticipated four dates for Committee stage are 21, 23 and 30 January and they have
been advertised in Forthcoming Business. The remaining day will be rescheduled as
a day had to be set aside for for the House to have a further debate under section
13 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act, which is now scheduled for 28 January. The recommended
intervals between Bill stages are minimums, and it is not unusual for there to be
a longer pause between stages than the recommended minimum interval.</p>

<p>So far three of an anticipated four days have been scheduled and advertised (21,
23 and 30 January). The remaining day will be rescheduled as a day had to be set aside
for the House to have a further debate under section 13 of the EU (Withdrawal) Act
which is now scheduled for 28 January. The progress of all business is, as always,
in the hands of the House. But the Usual Channels have agreed to those dates on the
assumption that they should allow Committee Stage to be completed inside four days
and the Usual Channels are working to get the remaining day scheduled within the first
week of February.</p>

To ask the Leader of the House what estimate she has made of the parliamentary time
required in the House of Lords to complete the remaining Brexit related bills before
29 March 2019; and whether the time available allows for the usual minimum intervals.

<p>It is my intention that we should create the time to do our business properly.
I note that so far all bills associated with Brexit have been scheduled in accordance
with the minimum intervals recommended in The Companion. As the Noble Lord will recall,
from time to time the recommended minimum intervals have, with Usual Channels agreement,
been dispensed with when it has been necessary for the House to do so. I undertake
to work with my counterparts in the usual channels to ensure that business continues
to be scheduled in a way which allows proper scrutiny.</p>

<p>The next scheduled Friday sitting is for 1 February, as advertised in Forthcoming
Business. Further sittings will be advertised in due course. There are currently no
plans to consider Government business on Fridays, but as is always the case the sittings
of the House are subject to the progress of business.</p>

<p>A date for the prorogation of the current session has not yet been set. The length
of the first session was extended to give Parliament more time to consider the crucial
legislation relating to Brexit.</p>

To ask the Leader of the House whether she will propose to the Procedure Committee
a review of the system for tabling oral questions in the House of Lords in respect
of the requirement for members to queue.

<p>The process for tabling oral questions was considered in detail in the 2012-13
session. In response to concerns raised about the current “first-come-first-served”
system - including a concern about the requirement to queue raised by my Noble Friend,
Lady Sharples - the Procedure Committee proposed the introduction of a ballot in its
place (Procedure Committee, 3rd Report, Session 2012-13). The House remitted the issue
back to the Procedure Committee for further consideration (HL Deb 9 Jan 2013, cols
145-172). <br><br>That further review did not identify a clear consensus as to whether
a ballot was preferred to the “first-come-first-served” system (see Procedure Committee,
5th Report, Session 2012-13; see also HL Deb 24 April 2013, cols 1406-1417). <br><br>I
know that strong views persist on both sides of the argument about this issue. I will
write to the Chairman of the Procedure Committee on my Noble Friend’s behalf to suggest
that the matter might be discussed at a future meeting of the Procedure Committee.</p><p>
</p>

<p>In the last 20 years the closure motion has been moved in the House of Lords 13
times: on 22 July 1999; 6 October 2003; 17 January 2011; 19 January 2011; 21 October
2011; 31 January 2014; 15 March 2019; and six times on 4 April 2019.</p>